A Sublime Trance (Santoor)

A Sublime Trance (Santoor) is a studio album by Indian classical musician Shivkumar Sharma, released on January 1, 1991. The album features Sharma on the santoor, a trapezoidal hammered dulcimer of Kashmiri origin, accompanied by traditional percussion instruments. The release belongs to the Hindustani classical music tradition and showcases extended improvisations in the raga and tala framework.

Sharma performs three compositions across the album. The opening track presents Raag Kalavati in a three-part structure: an alaap (unmetered introduction), a vilambit laya (slow-tempo) composition in Rupak Taal (7-beat cycle), and a drut laya (fast-tempo) section transitioning to Teen Taal (16-beat cycle). The second track continues with a madhya laya (medium-tempo) piece in Ek Taal (12-beat cycle) before accelerating into Teen Taal. The final track adopts the mishra khamaj thumri style, rendered in the dadra taal (6-beat cycle) with a lyrical ang (form) characteristic of semi-classical thumri.

The album emphasizes Sharma’s technical command of the santoor, a instrument he popularized in Hindustani classical concerts. The recordings capture the intricate interplay between melody and rhythm, with tabla accompaniment providing percussive support. The label and production details remain undocumented in available sources. A Sublime Trance (Santoor) stands as a representative work of Sharma’s discography from the early 1990s, reflecting his contributions to instrumental classical music.